Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!att!cbnewsc!lgm
From: lgm@cbnewsc.ATT.COM (lawrence.g.mayka)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.eiffel
Subject: Re: Interesting problems to try in Eiffel
Message-ID: <12689@cbnewsc.ATT.COM>
Date: 9 Jan 90 21:37:54 GMT
References: <2645@tukki.jyu.fi>
Reply-To: lgm@cbnewsc.ATT.COM (lawrence.g.mayka,ihp,)
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 19

In article <2645@tukki.jyu.fi> sakkinen@jytko.jyu.fi (Markku Sakkinen) SAKKINEN@FINJYU.bitnet (alternative) writes:
>at least in the Pascal newsgroup. However, it would not be _simple_
>to offer such facilities in any compiled language - variable names
>in them are generally only compile-time entities; preserving them
>at run time would greatly impede efficiency.

Common Lisp is a compiled language that offers such capabilities
for dynamically scoped variables (via SYMBOL-VALUE) and for
instance variables (via SLOT-VALUE).  Retaining the symbol
information costs some space but not, in itself, speed.  I grant,
though, that producing a complete, high-quality Common Lisp
implementation is not "simple."


	Lawrence G. Mayka
	AT&T Bell Laboratories
	lgm@ihlpf.att.com

Standard disclaimer.